This document discusses human perception and interaction in virtual reality. It explains that VR hijacks the human perception-action system by providing distal stimuli (the virtual environment) and tracking human actions like head and hand movements as input. It describes several common interaction patterns used in VR like hand selection, pointing, image-plane selection, 3D multitouch, and 3D tool manipulation. Throughout development, iteration is important to refine VR interactions based on how users perceive and interact with the virtual environment.
3. 3@TheVRBookJason Jerald, Phd
The Psychology of Perception & Action
• Objective vs subjective reality
• Distal and proximal stimuli
• Sensation vs perception
• Bottom-up and top-down
processing
• Afference and efference
• Iterative perceptual processing
• The subconscious and conscious
• Mental models
• Visceral, behavioral, reflective,
and emotional processes
• Neuro-linguistic programming
• Space, time, & motion
• Perceptual constancies
• Adaptation
• Attention
• Action
4. 4@TheVRBookJason Jerald, Phd
VR Output = Distal stimuli
Image Courtesy of The VR Book
(adapted from Goldstein [2007])
The Iterative Perceptual Process
Human action = VR input/tracking
With VR, we hijack the
human perception-action
system
8. 8@TheVRBookJason Jerald, Phd
The Most Important Input Device?
The Human Hands!
– Large proportion of sensory and motor
cortex devoted to the hands
– Hand tracking technology is simply the
mediator that brings the hands into VR
16. 16@TheVRBookJason Jerald, Phd
3D Multitouch Pattern
• An extension of 2D Multitouch
• Manipulate the world as an object
– Reduces sickness
– Solves gorilla arm
• Low interaction fidelity
– Appropriate for abstract non-realistic interactions
• Content/data independent
– Emergency preparedness
– Medical Visualization
– MakeVR